5.  The applicant was born in 1965 and is presently detained in Gdańsk, Poland.
6.  On 28 May 2001 the applicant was arrested by the police while crossing the Latvian-Polish border. On 29 May 2001 he was questioned by the police. On 30 May 2001 the applicant was heard by a prosecutor and was charged with robbery committed while acting in an organised criminal gang.
7.  On 30 May 2001 the Gdańsk District Court decided to place the applicant in pre-trial detention in view of the reasonable suspicion that he had committed armed robberies as a member of an organised criminal gang.
8.  On 17 August 2001 the Gdańsk Regional Court extended the applicant’s detention relying, in addition to the grounds originally given, on the risk that the applicant would interfere with the course of the proceedings, since the leader of the organised gang had not yet been arrested.
9.  On 13 November and 18 December 2001 the applicant’s detention was extended by the same court. It based its decision on the risk that a severe sentence would be imposed, which made it probable that the applicant would interfere with the course of the proceedings. Moreover, the court relied on the complexity of the case, as it concerned organised crime.
10.  Subsequently, the applicant’s pre-trial detention was extended, inter alia, on 21 March 2002 and 19 March 2003. The Regional Court reiterated the original grounds given for detention and held that keeping the applicant in custody was necessary for securing the evidence. In the latter decision the court considered that although the investigation had been lengthy, it had been justified by the complexity of the case.
11.  Afterwards, as the length of the applicant’s detention had reached the statutory time‑limit of two years laid down in Article 263 § 3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Kodeks postępowania karnego), the Regional Court applied to the Gdańsk Court of Appeal (Sąd Apelacyjny) asking for the applicant’s detention to be extended beyond that term. On 19 March, 27 June and 17 December 2003 the Gdańsk Court of Appeal allowed the application and extended his pre‑trial detention. The Court of Appeal based its decisions on the reasonable suspicion that the applicant had committed serious offences and on the risk that he might interfere with the course of justice. The court further considered that the complexity of the case constituted an extraordinary circumstance justifying his continued detention. The court also referred to the fact that the applicant did not have a permanent place of residence in Poland.
12.  In the meantime, on 16 June 2003, the applicant and 14 other co‑accused were indicted before the Gdańsk Regional Court.
13.  In 2004 the applicant’s detention was extended by decisions of the Gdansk Court of Appeal given on 16 June and 28 December. The court reiterated the grounds given previously.
14.  On 14 June and 22 November 2005 the applicant’s detention was further extended. The court observed that the period of detention had been excessive given the complexity of the case and the need to ensure the proper conduct of the final stages of the trial.
15.  On 22 February 2006 the applicant’s detention was further extended. The applicant’s numerous applications for release and appeals against the decisions extending his detention were to no avail.
16.  During the entire proceedings the applicant made numerous, unsuccessful applications for release and appealed, likewise unsuccessfully, against the decisions extending his detention.
17.  On 30 May 2006 the Gdańsk Regional Court gave judgment. The court convicted the applicant and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment. It appears that the applicant requested that the reasoned judgment be served on him with a view to lodging an appeal.
18.  It appears that the proceedings are pending before the Court of Appeal. The applicant remains in detention.